Seeking Trainee / Student Doula - Lower North Shore Sydney
Hi
I am hoping to find a trainee (low or no cost) doula to support me in my second pregnancy - baby is due mid March 2012. To give a background, I'm 31, fit and healthy, 13 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I have a 2yr9month old son as well.
Although this is my second birth, it is my first in Australia (DS was born in the UK) - and it's also my first hospital birth (DS was born at home). I'm hoping for a water birth at the Royal North Shore hospital, St Leonards. I've booked in under their Midwifery programme, where I see the same midwife for all my antenatal appointments, and then she is the person who delivers my baby. However, I was on a similar scheme in the UK and then the midwives were on their Christmas party the night I delivered, so I got unknown midwives - hence having someone who knows what they're doing and also knows me and my background would be really wonderful.
I would really like some support with the following
1. Preparing for a hospital situation after the relative comfort of a home birth (can't have homebirth here due to the cost)
2. Preparation emotionally re having 2 children
3. Practical help managing the labour (I've got natal hypnotherapy cds as well as yoga dvds that I used last time and found useful) - I am looking for encouragement re positions, management of early labour etc. I also really need someone to be my 'voice' during labour to ensure that as far as possible, my labour plan is adhered to. I also would like to make sure that I have someone with me supporting me throughout the labour, as I only laboured for 5.5 hrs with my son, but 2 hrs of this I was completely by myself (hubby filling up birth pool and midwives didn't come as they didn't think I was in proper labour etc) and it was terrifying
4. Post partum I'd like support avoiding a managed 3rd stage if possible, as well as ensuring we can do delayed cord clamping.
5. I'd also like to encapsulate my placenta, and am finding people who can help out with this, but might need practical help with this like making sure it's kept refrigerated or in an esky until it's collected.
6. I would like particular help with getting breastfeeding established as I had little help last time and it hurt for months and months (although I stuck it out for 18 months in the end!)
7. I would like to have a post delivery debrief after delivery to talk through the labour experience - and perhaps again a couple of days later once I've processed it a bit more - as I felt largely unsupported in my first labour, it took a while to come to terms with it, so I'd prefer to avoid that this time
Ok - I think I've given a pretty good run down of what I think my needs are - if you can only help with pre or post natal services, I'd still be interested to hear from you, although someone looking to do both would be really amazing.
Thanks so much in advance for your help,
Anna
